Huddle gets in sync with new, enterprise-grade file-syncing tools

Cloud collaboration startup Huddle has unveiled an intelligent file synchronization tool called Sync intended for use in large enterprises.

Huddle Sync, currently in private beta, is intended to let every worker in an organization gain secure access to the company’s treasure trove of data and files; it then syncs only relevant documents to relevant workers’ PCs and mobile devices — an important improvement as many departments adopt a BYOD (bring your own device) approach to mobile technology.

Employees can work on the files while offline, and managers and executives have granular permission controls to specify settings for cross-company sharing.

Huddle suggests that Dropbox and other consumer-level cloud-based file-sharing tools do bring some synchronization features, but Huddle said in a release that its competitors “fail to resolve the enterprise issue of syncing data across entire workforces and organizations and present significant security risks.”

Here’s a demo showing a bit more about how Huddle Sync works:

One feature of Huddle Sync is placeholder files, which lets employees see all the files they have permission to access without consuming too much bandwidth. Sync also handles versioning issues, managing conflicts so teams don’t have to duplicate their efforts or work on out-of-date files.

“Cross-enterprise file sync is a very different and more complex challenge than personal file sync,” said Huddle CEO Alastair Mitchell in a release today. “On average, a document in Huddle is securely shared with 20 other people, making enterprise sync 20 times more complex than personal sync. Consumer sync tools are great for providing access to documents at an individual level, but they lack the security, scalability and intelligence required for the enterprise. They’re a time bomb of costly data loss waiting to happen.”

To register for the Huddle Sync private beta, you can apply for the program at Huddle’s landing page for Sync.